The six thousand warriors from the Bull Tribe launched a full-scale assault against the frontline forces of the Mage Alliance, compelling the Mage Alliance to retreat step by step into Edgeton Fortress, where they once again suffered devastating bombardment from the Bull Tribe’s ballistae.
Under the bombardment of the ballistae, the walls of Edgeton Fortress groaned and trembled, eventually collapsing and creating a breach. Players from the Bull Tribe attempted to charge through this breach into the fortress, sparking an intense back-and-forth battle at the base of Edgeton’s walls.
Across the battlefield, the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians found themselves at a disadvantage. Their main forces were rapidly depleted, and under the relentless assault from the Bull Tribe, both the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians began suffering massive defeats.
A group of players led by Kuangfa and Holyflame were pushed back into Edgeton Fortress, where they engaged in combat with the Bull Tribe’s elites. Overwhelmed and unable to breathe, they watched helplessly as the Bull Tribe was about to break into Edgeton Fortress.
Kuangfa felt a wave of sorrow. The Mage Alliance he had built over so long seemed to be reaching its end. The current situation was clearly beyond redemption.
Just as the players of the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians neared despair, someone suddenly shouted.
“There are flying mounts in the sky!”
They looked up and saw a formation of thirty-one flying mounts approaching from the distant horizon.
This group of flying mounts consisted of Thunder Eagles, Gryphons, and Venomous Dragonflies. Such a large number of flying mounts was unprecedented, the largest aerial force ever assembled. Even Nieyan’s Darkwing Dragon would likely be overwhelmed and destroyed in such a confrontation.
“It’s Angel Empire and Century Syndicate! They haven’t abandoned us!” Kuangfa felt a surge of emotion. Thirty-one flying mounts—such overwhelming combat power might just turn the tide of battle!
At this moment, Kuangfa was like a drowning man clutching at a straw. Even the faintest glimmer of hope was something he refused to let go.
These thirty-one flying mounts had been gathered by Century Syndicate using all their financial resources. Twenty of them came from Angel Empire, and the rest from other factions.
Cui Can Daoguang was directing his forces in a brutal massacre of the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians when he suddenly spotted the flying mounts in the sky. He immediately sent Nieyan a message: “Nieyan, reinforcements have arrived for the Mage Alliance—thirty-one flying mounts! What should we do?”
“Don’t panic. Flying mounts are indeed powerful in the air, but with such a dense crowd below, if they dive down, they’ll become sitting ducks. They’re just asking to die. In fact, those flying mounts aren’t that impressive. Gather our Frostplate Ballistae and fire at them the moment they descend. One volley will make them wish they hadn’t come. Tell our people to put their flying mounts away and ignore the sky. Deal with them only when they come down,” Nieyan replied calmly. At this moment, bringing his own Darkwing Dragon forward would only make him a target for their aerial assault.
After hearing Nieyan’s words, Cui Can Daoguang felt reassured.
Besides gathering the Frostplate Ballistae, the Bull Tribe continued their relentless assault on Edgeton Fortress as if nothing had changed!
The thirty-one flying mounts circled above the battlefield, the undisputed rulers of the skies, flaunting their dominance over the Bull Tribe. Yet the Bull Tribe paid them no heed. The thirty-seven Frostplate Ballistae gathered below were the most obvious targets, but the power of these ballistae kept the players riding the flying mounts from daring to dive down.
Kuangfa’s mood shifted from initial euphoria to profound disappointment. The flying mounts in the sky did not dive down to slaughter the Bull Tribe as he had imagined. They simply hovered above, unwilling to descend.
“Damn it, those cowards! We’ll be dead before they decide to help us,” a Mage Alliance player cursed bitterly.
In a daze, Kuangfa realized a truth: relying on others leads to failure. In the end, one must rely on oneself.
“Boss, we need to retreat! The Bull Tribe is breaking in!” a player shouted from behind.
“Retreat? Hell no! If I’m going to die, I’ll die right here in Edgeton Fortress!” Kuangfa cursed.
At that moment, Black & White, Wu Feng, and others charged into the narrow pass of Edgeton Fortress, carving a bloody path forward. Under the suppressive fire from Tang Yao, Xie Yao, and others, the Mage Alliance players scattered in disarray. A massive wave of Bull Tribe players surged in behind them.
Outside the fortress, the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians were being utterly decimated by the Bull Tribe. The Frostplate Ballistae had already wiped out their elite forces, shattering their morale. The Bull Tribe players relentlessly pursued them, leaving the battlefield littered with the corpses of the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians.
Above the battlefield, players riding flying mounts, including Ang Wing Tian Shi, were discussing whether they should descend to assist.
Mounted on a colossal Royal Gryphon was none other than Ang Wing, the angel who had finally been persuaded to join by Cao Xu.
“Damn, the Mage Alliance is even weaker than I thought. How can we help like this?” Lieyan, riding a Thunder Eagle, muttered in frustration. Initially, they had assumed the Bull Tribe and Mage Alliance would be evenly matched, and their support might tip the scales. But now, the Mage Alliance was in full retreat, and the Bull Tribe’s morale remained unaffected, making the situation even more difficult.
Angel Wing paused thoughtfully before saying, “Since we’re here, we can’t just leave empty-handed or we’ll be laughed at. Let’s take out a few of the Bull Tribe’s ballistae.”
“Alright, boss, give the order,” Lieyan replied, and the other aerial riders voiced no objections.
They quickly devised a battle plan. Suddenly, all thirty-one flying mounts launched a coordinated dive toward the thirty-seven Frostplate Ballistae below.
Seeing the flying mounts descending from above, Shui Se Yantou immediately grew tense. “All ballistae, prepare! First, second, third, and fifth squads—do not fire unless I say so! Fourth and sixth squads, listen carefully—wait for my command!”
A golden-feathered gryphon dove rapidly toward the Frostplate Ballistae below, closing in quickly.
This golden gryphon was none other than Ang Wing’s Royal Gryphon, renowned for its extraordinary speed and agility, enabling it to arrive at the battlefield ahead of all others.
“Target 37, test fire!” Shui Se Yantou ordered coldly. This Crown Gryphon was clearly trying to provoke their fire. He sneered. Did the Angel Empire really think such a cheap trick could trick them into wasting ammunition?
As soon as Shui Se Yantou finished speaking, the lever of one Frostplate Ballista shot upward, launching five solid iron cannonballs into the air. The cannonballs whistled toward the Crown Gryphon.
The Crown Gryphon rolled mid-air, dodging the attack.
“Target 36, fire!”
“Target 35, fire!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Solid iron cannonballs continued to soar into the sky like fireworks.
The Royal Gryphon executed a sudden mid-air halt, rolled twice, and quickly gained altitude. Iron cannonballs whizzed past it, but none landed a hit. Clearly, whoever was riding the Royal Gryphon was highly skilled.
Meanwhile, the Bull Tribe maintained continuous fire while ensuring each ballista had sufficient reloading time. At least twenty-five of the thirty-seven ballistae were fully loaded. If they launched a coordinated volley, it would be extremely dangerous. Shui Se Yantou was deliberately holding back, waiting for the entire aerial force to descend.
Seeing the Bull Tribe still hadn’t taken the bait and narrowly dodging several cannonballs, Ang Wing suddenly banked his Royal Gryphon into a steep dive and bellowed, “Charge!”
The remaining thirty flying mounts followed suit, diving at incredible speed.
Seeing so many large flying mounts descending, the players operating the Frostplate Ballistae grew nervous. Some wanted to fire, but were stopped.
“Stay calm! Wait for my command! Wait until they’re at least twenty yards away!” Shui Se Yantou shouted in the group chat. Firing from too far away made the shots easy to dodge. They had to wait until they were within twenty yards. Once within that range, even with their quick reflexes, the flying mounts would be unable to evade the Frostplate Ballistae’s fire, and the ballistae’s damage would be significantly increased.
Thirty yards, twenty-five yards, twenty yards…
Seeing the flying mounts enter the kill zone, Shui Se Yantou’s voice grew hoarse as he barked, “Fire!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Solid iron cannonballs were launched into the air, whistling toward the descending flying mounts. At twenty yards, the mounts had no time to dodge. The cannonballs struck with devastating force, causing blood to spray as several mounts screamed and plummeted. Some cannonballs even pierced through their wings.
A few flying mounts managed to evade the barrage and dove down, tearing the ballistae apart.
Seeing the ballistae under attack, nearby mages rushed to support, launching spells from all directions toward the flying mounts, causing explosions on impact.
In the ensuing chaos, many players could no longer distinguish friend from foe. Casualties mounted on both sides.
Ang Wing checked his party list and realized six of their flying mounts had already been destroyed, with at least a dozen more injured. He hadn’t expected such heavy losses. The Frostplate Ballistae’s concentrated fire was far more devastating than anticipated. His heart bled at the sight. Checking the damage dealt, they had destroyed six of the Bull Tribe’s ballistae and disabled five more. Compared to their losses, this was hardly a victory.
“Retreat!” ordered Ang Wing, commanding his remaining forces. The surviving flying mounts swiftly ascended back into the sky.
This was the first major engagement between flying mounts and ballistae. By any measure, it was clear that Angel Empire had suffered a significant defeat.
Exactly as Nieyan had predicted.
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